Out Loud
by Adalyn333
Summary: Short story about Lexie, a bookworm who LOVES to read, just not out loud. Lets just say bad things have happened in the past when she read aloud. But does everything really have to have a terrible consequence for this young 'silvertounge? What happens when Lexie is forced to read about the Flock?


**A/N this is a short story I wrote for my final project for creative writing this year. I really liked writing this so I hope you enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not two people therefore I am not James Patterson AND/OR Cornelia Funke. Who I assume own Maximum Ride and Inkheart.**

Out Loud ~ A short story by Adalyn333

I don't read out loud, I just don't.

If in class I have to read, I'll pretend I'm thirsty. If I'm babysitting the kids get to listen to an audiobook.

No it's not because I'm shy. It's not because I don't like read, in fact I love to read. I am actually quite obsessed with it. It's because bad things happen when I read.

So when my friend, Sophie, wanted me to read her part of our favourite book, for who knows what reason. I immediately said no.

"Come on, you don't have to read much. Just like, the first chapter!" While she was saying this I had subconsciously grabbed the book, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, and flipped to a page. I looked down and realized it was the first chapter, including a description of 'The Flock' the six main characters of the Maximum Ride series.

"No" I said again. There was no way I reading this to her. She realized I wasn't going to change my mind. Or at least I thought she did.

She snatched my wallet from where it was lying beside my thigh and held it high above her head, out of my reach.

"Give it back!" That wallet held the thirteen thousand dollars I was saving up for a car with.

"Only if you read me the first chapter!" Oh that girl was evil, from her frizzy red hair down to her blue converse shoes. Evil, pure evil.

"Fine," I spat. Maybe, just maybe it wouldn't work today.

I began.

_'Lay off the freaking horn!' I said, rubbing my forehead. Nudge pulled away from the steering wheel, which Fang was holding. 'Sorry,' she said. 'It's just so much fun - it sounds like a party.'_

_I looked out the van window and shook my head, struggling to keep my irritation in check._

_It seemed like only yesterday that we'd done the pretty impossible and busted out of the very creepy and deeply disturbing Itex headquarters in Florida._

_In reality, it had been four days. Four days since Gazzy and Iggy had blown a hole in the side of the Itex headquarters, thus springing us from our latest diabolical incarceration._

_Because we're just crazy about consistency, we were on the run again._

_However, in an interesting, nonflying change of pace, we were driving. We'd made the savvy decision to borrow an eight-passenger van that had apparently been a love machine back in the '80s: shag carpeting everywhere, blacked-out windows, a neon rim around the license plate that we'd immediately disabled as too conspicuous._

We heard a crash outside and looked out the window. Two stories below, sitting on my lush, green lawn was the '80's Love Machine'.

"Woah, I didn't know you had a van like that!" Sophie could be so naive.

Even though I knew only bad things would ensue, I continued reading.

_There was, for once, plenty of room for all six of us: me (Max); Fang, who was driving; Iggy, who was trying to convince me to let him drive, although he's blind; Nudge, in the front seat next to Fang, seemingly unable to keep her mitts off the horn; the Gasman (Gazzy); and Angel, my baby._

_And Total, who was Angel's talking dog. Long story._

_Gazzy was singing a Weird Al Yankovic song, sounding exactly like the original. I admired Gazzy's uncanny mimicking ability but resented his fascination with bodily functions, a fascination apparently shared by Weird Al._

_'Enough with the constipation song,' Nudge groaned, as Gazzy launched into the second verse._

_'Are we going to stop soon?' Total asked. 'I have a sensitive bladder.' His nose twitched, and his bright eyes looked at me. Because I was the leader and I made the decisions about stopping. And about a million other things._

_I glanced down at the map on the laptop screen in my lap, then rolled down the window to look at the night sky, gauge our whereabouts._

_'You could have gotten a car with GPS,' Total said helpfully._

_'Yes,' I said. 'Or we could have brought along a dog that doesn't talk.' I gave Angel a pointed look, and she smiled, well, angelically at me._

_Total huffed, offended, and climbed into her lap, his small, black, Scottie-like body fitting neatly against her. She kissed his head._

_Just an hour ago we'd finally sped across the state border, into Louisiana, meticulously sticking to our carefully plotted, brilliantly conceived plan of 'heading west'. Away from the laugh riot that had been our stint in south Florida. Because we still had a mission: to stop Itex and the School and the Institute and whoever else was involved from destroying us and from destroying the world. We're nothing if not ambitious._

_'Louisiana, the state that road maintenance forgot,' I muttered, grimacing at hitting yet another pothole. I didn't think I could take this driving thing much longer. From the Everglades to here had taken forever in a car, as compared with flying. On the other hand, even a big '80s love van was less noticeable than six flying children and their talking dog._

_So there you go._

My vision shuddered and I heard quarreling voices from below.

"Fang you're a worse driver than I thought! How in heck did we end up in someone's backyard?" Oh no. Maximum ride, Miss Flock leader was in my backyard arguing it out with the series' resident hottie aka Fang.

I looked over at Sophie's face, trying to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates. Her pale skin was even paler than usual causing her many freckles to stand out like traffic cones.

"You're... they're." She muttered before her bright emerald eyes rolled back and she fainted.

I lifted her unmoving body onto my bed and practically flew down the stairs in my hurry to get to my backyard. And to the... flock!

As I neared my screen door I could hear them yelling about who knows what.

I burst outside just as a long, loud honk came from the van.

"Nudge! Why can't you keep your mitts off the horn?"

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to if you weren't about to start world war three!"

"Yeah Max! You listen to the younger ones more!" I could hear Fang's voice float out, "especially Gazzy." I heard thumps from the van and Gazzy's strangled scream.

Let me back it up a bit. These kids aren't normal. Not by a long shot. Infused with avian DNA before birth gave them some _interesting _qualities, including wings and superhuman abilities like strength and sight. But they each have their own unique abilities. Gazzy for example could mimic any voice, from what I could tell had just impersonated Fang, infuriating Max.

I reached the van and opened the driver's door, mentally preparing myself for every fangirl's dream experience. Meeting the flock.

"Um, excuse me?" I cleared my throat, trying unsuccessfully to get their attention.

"Hey, FLOCK!" I yelled as loud as I could. Six genetically modified heads swiveled towards me in surprise.

"And you are?" Max moved into position. Her at the front, staring me down.

"I'm not going to hurt you, but you need my help." I hoped they wouldn't attack me. I was no match for even Angel, the six year old.

"How do we know you aren't from Itex?" Itexicon was the huge tycoon intent on killing half of the world's population, in their world at least.

"Because here, Itexicon doesn't exist." I figured telling the truth was my best bet.

"Yeah, and I can breathe underwater!" Max retorted. Well _actually_ in book 5 she grows gills but since this Max was from book 3 she didn't know any better.

"You guys have 'powers', I have one too." I tried to explain this so they would understand.

"How do you know so much about us?" Finally, Fang spoke.

"Well, my 'power' is that I can read people and things out of books," I paused, I had never told anyone this before. "I read you guys out of the Maximum Ride series."

"What? The _Maximum Ride _series? It should be named after me! I'm obviously the main character!_" _Iggy said. Wow you find out you're from a book and the first thing you do is complain about the title! Typical Iggy.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Max was ever the skeptic.

"Well, why don't you ask your little mind reader?" I said, referring to Angel.

"She's telling the truth Max, we really are from a book!" Angel's sweet voice came from the back seat, where she was clutching Total, their talking dog.

"Show me the book." Max said, trying to keep her calm.

"Follow me." I led them into my house and back to my bedroom where Sophie was still passed out cold, on my bed.

I walked over to my bookshelf and pulled off the first two books.

Max reached out and snatched the book in my right hand, _The Angel Experiment._

She skimmed through the first chapter, her eyes growing wider the farther she read.

"What about those?" Nudge said, pointing to books 3-7.

"Well, you guys are from book three, those are what happens to you next."

"It looks like we need a way home, could you read Dorothy's slippers out or something?" Iggy seemed to be taking this well. But then again stuff like this isn't that strange in their science fiction world of mad scientists.

"Uh, I'm not exactly sure how to get you back in." I said in a rush, hoping they wouldn't overreact. "You guys never really go into real life, then back into your world. Well at least not in anything I've ever read."

"Well then write something!" Gazzy said in exasperation. He gestured at the piles of manuscripts strewn around my room. "You're obviously a author."

Which was true. I was, still am a writer. Maybe the Gasman's plan had some merit.

"I'll try, I can't guarantee it will work though."

"Well, go! Write!" Max said as she pulled out the chair at my desk. Nudge flipped my notebook to an empty page and Fang handed me a pen.

I sat down and began to write.

Out Loud ~ A short story by Lexie Collins

I don't read out loud, I just don't.

If in class...

About half way through the story Sophie stirred. When she realized who was sitting next to her she started squealing so loud my pen skidded across the paper.

"IGGGGGGGGGGGGYYYYYYYYY!" You can probably tell who her favourite character is.

When she calmed down she whipped her her head over to face me and asked, "How?"

Just that one word sent shivers down my spine and my throat clogged up.

"Have you read Inkheart?" This was the easiest way to explain my so called 'power'.

"Duh. Hasn't everybody?"

"Well I'm a, what's it called? Oh yeah, a 'silver tongue' except that to my knowledge nothing really goes in, things just come out." I looked up from my shoes and at her face. You could see the information computing in her brain. "So... yeah." I finished lamely.

"Cool?" Sophie said after an awkward silence. I could feel the Flock's eyes trained on us.

"Yeah, whatever. It's caused more bad than good. Remember those crazy wolf attacks from two years ago? He was from Little Red Riding Hood. The chain of mysterious crimes from three years ago. That was Robin Hood." I muttered as I bent back over my work.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_I reached the van and opened the driver's door, mentally preparing myself for every fangirl's dream experience. Meeting the flock.___

_"Um, excuse me?" I cleared my throat, trying unsucce...__  
_

Around ten o'clock I finished my story with a flourish. "It's done!"

"Finally, I was about to fall asleep!" Iggy said, faking a yawn. He pushed Sophie off his shoulder, where she had been slumbering for the past thirty minutes.

"Wake up sleeping beauty, we're going home." Max said, kicking Fang off my bed.

"No Max, just ten more minutes." Fang muttered sleepily and curled up on my fuzzy blue rug.

"Hey,Lexie? Where's the kitchen, I need a glass of water to dump on this butthead." Max turned to face me.

"I need to proof read this, Sophie can show you." I pulled out a red pen and started marking up the pages.

"Uh, can't you?" Too late I remembered Max's hatred for redheads. Ever since Fang had kissed a redhead named Lissa back in Virgina, Max had hated all red haired girls with a passion.

"Fine. Sophie get your butt over here and edit this!" I yelled as I led Max down the stairs and to the kitchen.

"Where are your parents?" I guess Max had realized they hadn't seen a single adult since they arrived.

"It's their anniversary so I'm home alone for the weekend." I filled up our largest cup with ice cold water and handed it to Max.

"Oh, I wish I had a Mom." Max said almost to herself.

"But you do! Oh crap, forget I ever said that!" I had slipped, well crap. Way to ruin the story huh?

Luckily Max just looked at me with confusion and ran up the stairs.

I was trudging up behind her when I heard an ear piercing scream coming from my bedroom.

"MAAAAAX!" I flattened myself to the wall as Max ran out of the room and down the stairs, followed by a soaking Fang.

I just rolled my eyes and walked to my desk where my rough draft lay, covered in little red marks.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready to send you back." I announced to no one in particular.

I read over my story preparing to read out loud.

"Okay, I think I'm ready." I said, my voice shaking.

I started where this whole fiasco had began. I read.

_"I don't read out loud, I just don't. _

_If in class I have to read, I'll pretend I'm thirsty. If I'm babysitting the kids get to listen to an audiobook. _

_No it's not because I'm shy. It's not because I don't like read, in fact I love to read. I am actually quite obsessed with it. It's because bad things happen when I read. _

_So when my friend, Sophie, wanted me to read her part of our favourite book, for who knows what reason. I immediately said no." _

When I finished my story the room began to shudder like the air itself was bending, trying to force the Flock back to where they belonged. The windows blew open with a hurricane worthy gust of wind. Through the window a swirling vortex reached out, it settled on on my carpet creating a doorway in the middle of my floor.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go!" I screamed over the gale.

"But... but it looks scary!" Nudge whispered from behind Iggy.

"Just go!"

"Let's all go together." Nudge linked arms with Gazzy who grabbed on to Iggy. Iggy grabbed the back of Fang's soaked sweatshirt. Fang hugged Max to his side and Max scooped up Angel like a newborn. In Angel's arms was Total who was eyeing the vortex with uncertainty.

"Jump on three! One... two... three!" Max squeezed her eyes shut and jumped, pulling everyone in behind her. Angel turned her blonde head to face me and waved as the seven mutants fell into the swirling abyss.

The portal closed not leaving a single trace that there had ever been a tornado on my carpet. I was about to flop onto my bed when I heard Sophie gasp.

"Lexie! Come check this out!"

I rushed to her side and looked at the paragraph her finger was pointing at.

_But if the above whipped your imagination into a frenzy, here's something even more interesting: Fang started a blog ( .com). So far his favourite follower is Lexie Collins, who we met on our car trip from florida. Not that he's self-absorbed and trendy or anything. Nope, not him._

I grinned. I couldn't believe they remembered me! The ironic thing is that I actually did follow Fang's blog! That night I fell asleep still smiling.

Since then I haven't read aloud. Do ever plan on it? Nope!

Never again will I read out loud.

**I hoped you enjoyed reading this! Please review!**


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